RECIPE: Taqueria Del Sol’s Oyster Taco

I used to live in Atlanta. It was alright. Winters were short and kind. Spring on the calendar meant spring in real life and that was always great. I go back every now and then to visit friends and eat (is it wrong that both reasons are equally important?)

Late in the spring, the daughter of my dearest friend graduated from high school. Which seems impossible, I met the kid when she was six! I was excited to celebrate with them but there were other motives.

There is a place in Decatur, GA (a neighborhood of Atlanta) that became like a ritual during my four year stay. Taqueria del Sol was everyone’s neighborhood restaurant—even if you lived nowhere near it (I didn’t). Fresh ingredients, seasonal menus and great tequilas. I was excited to add this to the list of things to do on my trip. I packed the stretchy pants in preparation and sometimes I drooled.

One of the things about leaving a place you used to call home is you forget a few details: 1) This restaurant is not open on Mondays. 2) The oyster taco is not always on their menu (d’oh!). And 3) on the way to the airport, thus your last chance to get said taco, the line will inevitably look like this:

Taco zombies waiting for their fix (photo: Hunger Pang in Atlanta)

No way I could stand in that line and still make my flight. I left empty handed and hungry . Later, pouting about returning to NY in a taco defeat, I flipped through a magazine I packed in my carry on to pass the time. What happened next is proof that food and I will never be denied. In Bon Appetit there was a RECIPE FOR DEL SOL’S OYSTER TACO. I almost went straight to the market with my suitcase after touching down at LGA. Yessss.

The ingredients were straight forward and something I could have figured out myself if I wasn’t so busy being cranky. Reproducing favorite dishes at home makes me feel bad ass, I do this often, but a recipe from the actual chef is like stealing the proverbial candy. I am not above stealing from babies. The test lab for these would have to wait, though, because oysters can only be trusted in months ending in ‘r’.

Those months have come!

Astoria’s Ocean Fish Market (photo: Harris Graber)

You will need oysters, but not this many.

The most difficult part about this recipe is shucking the oysters. This can be a bit frustrating (and stabby) if you’ve never done it before. But you can eliminate this by asking anyone at the fish counter to do it for you.

Yes! They turned out great. I may never need to return to ATL again. Just kidding Georgia buddies, I’ll always come back for you. Besides, there’s still the short rib taco to revisit. Bon Appetit! indeed.